Wise-cracking Philip Hammond delivering the spring statement in the House of Commons.
Photograph: PA

As a deliverer of one-liners, Philip Hammond is no Ken Dodd. But the chancellor’s job description when delivering budgets or spring statements involves lightening the economic news with a smattering of jokes at the dispatch box.

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With such a short spring statement on Tuesday – Hammond only spoke for about 30 minutes – there was not much time to get the gags in. Here are the best of a bad bunch.

Phil’s little red book

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Hammond mocks McDonnell

Hammond kicked off with a series of jibes aimed at the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, and the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn.

Explaining the way he has overhauled how the government announces tax and spending plans, Hammond said: “I won’t be producing a red book today, Mr Speaker, but of course, I can’t speak for the right honourable member opposite.”

He was referring to McDonnell’s reply to George Osborne’s autumn statement in 2015, when McDonnell produced Chairman Mao’s Little Red Book as a prop to quote from.

Eeyores and Tiggers

Hammond has a reputation for being rather dour, and used this for another attack on the Labour leadership.

Boasting that the country had experienced its longest period of consecutive economic growth for some time, Hammond said: “I reject the party opposite’s doom and gloom about the state of the nation.”

To nods of agreement from the prime minister, Hammond said: “Every Wednesday, we have to listen to the leader of the opposition relentlessly talking the country down. And every year since 2010, we’ve had to listen to the right honourable member for Hayes and Harlington [McDonnell] predict a recession, none of which have actually happened.

“So, Mr Speaker,” he continued, pointing at the Labour frontbench, “if there are any Eeyores in the chamber, they are over there.”

Tigger, on an earlier visit to the Houses of Parliament. Photograph: PR

The Matt Hancock app

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'Apps like Transferwise, Citymapper, Matt Hancock'

Hammond reeled off a list of British business strengths, including English being the global language of business, research carried out at universities, and the financial services sector of London.

Among them he cited innovations in the tech and apps sector, boasting that a new tech company was launched every hour, and naming innovative apps such as TransferWise, Citymapper and Matt Hancock.

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The unwanted Brexit laugh

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0:29

"They are laughing at you, not with you, Phil”

Chancellors usually get at least one unwanted laugh from the opposition benches during their set-piece speeches, and Hammond’s most awkward moment came, almost inevitably, when discussing Brexit.

“Since the budget, we’ve made substantial progress in our negotiations with the European Union,” he declared, to hollow laughter and heckling from the Labour party.

‘No beer, no sandwiches, not even a canapé’

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A throwback to the past

In a deliberate throwback to the language used about the relationship and frequent meetings between Harold Wilson during his time as PM and what the rightwing press called “union barons”, Hammond spoke about a joint meeting between himself, the TUC and the CBI at the national retraining partnership initiative.

“I can reassure the house, Mr Speaker, that there was no beer, no sandwiches, not even a canapé.”

A pantomime ending

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The end

The chancellor’s final routine came across as a weird mix of pantomime and evangelical exhortation, as he produced a series of soundbites that gave the Tories an excuse to cheer.

“A beacon of enterprise and innovation,” he said. “An outward-looking free-trading nation,” he urged. “One that is confident that our best days lie ahead of us” and “a force for good in the world”. The crowd behind him went wild.